On Sunday morning, July 8, 1756, the farm of Casper and Barbara Baer WALTER in the Conococheague settlement in what is now Franklin County, PA, was attacked by a small band of Indians. Casper WALTER, who was sitting on the porch reading his Bible, was killed instantly. His wife, Barbara, was tortured, but survived. She later married Henry HOUSEHOLDER, a neighbor. The three younger WALTER children were killed, at least one by dashing its head against a tree. The four older children spared and carried off by the Indians. These children were John, b. 1743; Ephraim, b. 1744; Mary, b. 1745; and Rebecca Regina, b. 1746. The story of the raid is that John was playing with a neighbor boy by the name of Galloday who escaped the attack and ran the short distance to Kesecker's Mill, from which point an alarm was sent out to Fort Allison, about one quarter mile away. Rev. John STEELE was conducting Sunday services at the fort, which were terminated and a party of men left, joining Capt. POTTER at Kesecker's Mill. This happened so quickly that the party arrived at the WALTER's home soon enough to prevent the scalping of Casper. The dead were buried in a nearby meadow. While in captivity, these children were taken through much of what is now Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. It is said the children witnessed the fall of Fort Duquesne. Ephraim WALTERS, while in captivity, was 'adopted' by a Shawnee Indian chief by the name of Yougashaw to replace a son who had been killed. Rebecca Regina was returned by the Moravian Christian Frederick Post in 1762. Her mother, Barbara Baer WALTER appeared at Lancaster, PA to claim her. She later married Casper STATLER, and settled in Shade Twp., Somerset County, PA. Mary returned later in 1762. Ephraim was 'liberated' by Col. Henry BOUQUET in November 1764, as reported by the Pennsylvania Gazette of January 17, 1765. John was apparently returned at the same time as Ephraim. Ephraim WALTERS, upon his return from captivity, settled his father's estate, and then moved to Augusta County, VA (now Hampshire Co., WV) and married in 1769, Mary DEBOLT, whose grandmother was allegedly a full blood Shawnee Indian. Her uncle was Peter CHARTIER, a Shawnee Indian chief who attempted to ban all liquor trade between the English and the Indians, so that the Indians could not be so easily taken advantage of. About 1773, Ephraim and Mary WALTERS settled in what is now Fayette County, PA, where they raised a large family. John WALTERS served in the Sandusky Expedition in 1782, under the command of Col. CRAWFORD, who was burnt at the stake during the operation. After the rout of this army by the Indians in what is now known as Wyandot County, OH, including the death of nearly half of the whites, many of the men simply fled on foot, never to have been heard from again. No later record of John WALTERS has been found, but family legend states that he returned to the Indians, being dissatisfied with the ways of the Whites. It is reported that he married an Indian woman of "strong Christian character" and raised a large family with her.

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